Leveraging New Tech to Increase Refrigeration Uptime, Reduce Expenses, and Advance Your ESG Initiatives
Meet Jay Welu, one of the driving forces behind StoreConnect’s innovative approach to revolutionize the world of commercial refrigeration service through their real-time data and predictive analytics platform.
In our conversation, Jay, SVP of Hussmann’s Retail Services business and a leading figure in the refrigeration industry for over two decades, sheds light on how technology is impacting the way supermarkets and convenience stores can manage their refrigeration equipment. He also shares how retailers can use it to help achieve ESG milestones, navigate upcoming industry regulations, and significantly cut down on costly emergency ‘break-fix’ scenarios.
Progressive Grocer: Why is refrigeration crucial for grocers in achieving their ESG goals, and how significant is the impact of refrigerants on the environment?
Jay Welu: Refrigeration stands as a pivotal area for grocers to make significant strides in their ESG initiatives by proactively addressing a legacy issue in the industry for decades.
Globally, refrigeration and air conditioning contribute to 10% of CO2 emissions, that’s 3x those of the Aviation and Shipping industries combined!
The good news is that there are new solutions available to reduce the impact. About 50% of Scope 1 Emissions (direct emissions caused by sources within a company’s control) are due to refrigerant leaks. With the right technology, grocers can reduce their leak rates and make a big impact on the environment (and reduce costs).
PG: How can technology aid retailers in complying with impending regulations and effectively manage their refrigerant emissions?
JW: Traditional approaches, such as scheduled maintenance or reactive responses to temperature issues in stores, have proved inadequate as they tend not to get to the problem quick enough.
Identifying leaks earlier will assist in tackling the emission challenge. The challenge is finding the leak that is the main contributor, and that can only be done through continuous monitoring.
Solutions like StoreConnect proactively monitor your refrigeration equipment in real-time and through our predictive analytics, provide advanced repair recommendations prior to it becoming an emergency.
Collectively our customers see greater than a 30% leak rate reduction in just their first year. We have prevented over 67,000 lbs. of refrigerant from leaking into the atmosphere and more than 139 million total GWP (Global Warming Potential) Savings in CO2e in just the past few years.
Because of this technology, our solution complies with the California Air Research Board’s (CARB) definition of an Automatic Refrigerant Leak Detection system under the regulation for the management of high GWP refrigerants for stationary sources.
PG: How is StoreConnect unique compared to similar providers?
JW: Ultimately, what distinguishes us is our practical experience. We draw upon the expertise of our 1000+ Hussmann technicians in the field to ensure the technology continues to meet the industry’s evolving needs.
The practice of calling when a temperature issue arises in a store, or “break-fix mentality”, has been around since the beginning. Hussmann has been in the refrigeration industry for over a century, and the way work gets done in the field has not materially changed since we used ice blocks to cool cabinets.
Ice block melts. Temperature rises; call for more ice.
Today, that workflow is, “Ice cream freezer is warm.”
Create a work order; send a technician. It’s time to change.
StoreConnect is a total refrigeration management solution that includes:
- Definitive site performance through overall equipment health.
- Fix confirmation to ensure the root cause of your refrigeration issue is found.
- Advanced analytics on efficiency and performance with qualified sensors and systems.
PG: What led to Hussmann investing in building StoreConnect?
JW: Hussmann’s investment in StoreConnect was focused on using data in reducing the environmental impact of refrigeration emissions, reducing the cost of service for retailers, and assisting in addressing the technician labor shortage and technicians' work-life balance. Unfortunately, technicians in our industry are working excessive overtime during the summer months when they ought to be home with their families. There is a need for change.
Proactive maintenance and fix confirmation allows our technicians to be more efficient and helps address labor shortages in the industry.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL 800-592-2060 OR VISIT www.hussmann.com/storeconnect